Nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and semiconductor nanowires can be synthesized using a number of known techniques. For example, vapor deposition techniques have been developed in which catalyst nanoparticles at elevated temperatures in a controlled environment act as growth sites for nanostructures. Gaseous substances that include the desired atomic constituents may be broken down for nanostructure assembly in the presence of such catalysts. For example, carbon atoms may be provided by a hydrocarbon gas source in a typical vapor deposition process for synthesizing CNTs. Batch processing is common but somewhat limiting in that a new reaction must be started, usually with a new growth substrate, each time more nanostructures are desired. Such processes do not lend themselves to scaled-up nanostructure manufacturing on an industrial or commercial scale. Some continuous processes have been proposed, but the necessity for careful control of the growth environment and the order in which growth conditions must change for successful nanostructure growth does not always lend itself to dynamic processes where the growth substrate and/or catalyst is moving from one location to another during the process. These issues are also present when manufacturing thin films on indefinite substrates, such as by atomic layer deposition (ALD) methods.